Texas Admits Stealing Dirt From New Mexico, States Settle

Looks like New Mexico found some dirt on the state of Texas, and now they have to pay for it.

Back in August, the New Mexico land commissioner noticed dirt and land missing on state trust land located southwest of Carlsbad Caverns, north of Dell, Texas. The commissioner also said that the dirt was then being taken to Texas. This led to an investigation into the land theft that showed the dirt was being hauled away by road crews from Hudspeth County. They also found the dirt was being taken since 2012 and was used for road improvements projects in Texas. The commissioner asked Hudspeth County to compensate New Mexico, money from state trust lands goes towards education.

In September, Hudspeth County said they didn't plan on paying back New Mexico for the land. The county argued that they had been paying to maintain roads in the area and that was enough compensation. The New Mexico Land Commissioner then demanded $20,000 in compensation for the dirt. This week, the two states finally reached an agreement after the New Mexico Land Commissioner accepted $4,400 from Hudspeth County.